"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop" Leo stated.

"Yes, Quebec City," Piper said, then smirked at Jason teasingly, "Jason time to wake up the beauty!"

Jason rolled his eyes at her, they all know once they wake her up, BAM! Jason would probably be thrown off the dragon.

Jason shook her gently, "Apollonia, we're here in Quebec. Wake up or you'll miss Boreas," Apollonia stirred waking up looking a lot more rested. She looked around and realised she was surrounded by something warm. Jason saw the look of horror slowly etching onto her face when she was realising the position she was in.

Apollonia cleared her throat, "Where did this blanket come from?"

"I touched a charm on your bracelet because you were getting cold from the wind," Jason said, making Apollonia's eyes widen. 

"What? Did it work for you? It should only work for me... that's odd," Apollonia said with a confused expression on her face, "Just don't take advantage of it."

"Maybe it's because we're soulmates? Don't worry, I'll only use it if it's concerning your well being."

"Maybe..." Apollonia said quietly to herself as she took in that option, totally ignoring the second part.

"The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" Jason caught Leo saying, "That can't be––"

"Heads up guys," Jason interrupted the arguing pair when he spotted something flying towards them, "We got company!"

"Steady boy," Leo calmed the metallic dragon.

"Oh, shit, fucking shit," Apollonia said looking like she wanted to fall off the dragon to her death.

Jason rubbed circles into her waist, she was too distraught at who's coming to notice the small action, "Are you okay? You know them?"

"Unfortunately. Piper, please don't move. I don't feel like dealing with them," She said and she fixed Piper's posture to try to hide when she saw that they were now very close.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweats, and black leather cleats. The guy had clearly been in one too many fights, both his eyes were black, then when he bared his teeth, multiple were missing.

The other dude looked like he'd just stepped out of those 1980s rock album covers. His hair was icy-white and was long in length and feathered into an interesting mullet. He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that looked too tight, and a godly awful silk shirt with the three top buttons opened. It looked like he had a bad case of acne too.

The angel-like creatures pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered, swords drawn at the ready.

The hockey dude grunted, "No clearance."

"Scuse me?" Leo asked, confused.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained rock n' roll acne dude, "This is restricted airspace," he said in an incredibly heavy French accent, that Jason assumed was fake.

"Destroy them?" Ox man asked. Festus began to steam up, ready to defend his new master and his friends.

Jason summoned his golden sword, but Leo let out a cry, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honour of destroying me?"

"I am Cal!" the ox man grunted. He looked very proud of himself like he needed forever to memorise that sentence.

"That's short for Calais," the other angel said, "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables–"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal exclaimed.

"–Which includes his own name." He finished.

"I am Cal!" Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!" He said proudly.

"Wow," Leo whistled, "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted, pleased with the comment, and himself.

"Stupid Buffoon!" His brother grumbled, "They make fun of you! But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the lady there–" He winked at Piper, but the wink looked more like a facial seizure. Piper shifted uncomfortably, which accidentally caused the brothers to see Apollonia, "Is that you Apollonia, dear?" Zethes questioned.

Apollonia pursed her lips in disdain, "Yes, Zethes," she grumbled.

Jason saw Zethes grin incredibly creepily, "Have you thought of my offer of romancing me, my lovely?"

Apollonia tensed up and looked sick by the offer, Jason tightened his grip on her and spoke up this time, "No, she's taken by me, her soulmate, sorry pal," Jason said, flashing a tight smile at her Zethes then quickly kissing her cheek. There was no way he would lose his soulmate to him.

Apollonia smiled awkwardly, "Sorry Zethes, not interested."

Jason felt Apollonia curl into him a bit like she wants to stay as far away from them as mortally possible. Which was definitely understandable. Jason felt a bit better knowing she much preferred him over that.

"That is alright, we have another dashing lovely lady here–" Zethes pointing at Piper who cut him off.

"That is a truly... horrifying offer," Piper said as kindly as she could, but Jason could hear the disgust in her tone.

"It is no problem," Zethes said, wiggling his eyebrows, "We are very romantic people, we Boreads." He totally did not get the girl's memo.

"Boreads?" Jason cut in, "Do you mean, like, the sons of Boreas?"

"Ah, so you've heard of us! I see my dear Apollonia can't help but talk about us," Zethes who threw a spasming wink her way. Apollonia looked like she either wanted to retort or gag at the comment.

"We are our father's gatekeepers. So you must understand, we cannot have unauthorised people flying in his airspace in creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal people." Zethes said almost apologetically.

He pointed below and they could see that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up– not with alarm. More with confusion. Apollonia snapped her fingers and they looked away.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, "we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Jason thought necessary.

"Wait!" Apollonia said, "You can't destroy me, I'm immortal. Plus this is an emergency!"

"And how does my lovely make this an emergency?" Zethes asked. Jason tightened his hold on Apollonia after that statement.

"Our dragon is malfunctioning!" Cal and Zethes looked at each other and started to say something.

"Yes! Plus it'll crash at any minute!" Piper added in with a big smile on her face that must've been killing her. The girls sounded so believable that Jason and Leo started furiously nodding their heads. Festus pitched in by tilting his head to let the oil spill out to play out the girls' story.

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts- or at least Jason thought they were weapons. Then the Boreads switched them on, and Jason realised they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway. Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel's tower.

Leo turned towards them, "I love these guys. Follow them?"

Jason, Apollonia, and Piper didn't look eager but Leo eagerly jumped in her seat. "I wonder how big this place is. Let's go!"

"I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors." Jason wondered.

"Pfft, he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!" 

 As they got closer, Jason worried they'd crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads.

They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite, but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening.

When Jason slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under his feet. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, Jason was sure he'd slip and break his neck if he tried to climb them.

"Guys," Leo said, "Fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

"Not me," Jason looked uneasily at the staircase, "Something feels wrong. Something up there..."

Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.

"No, no, no," Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Jason had no idea, "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

"'S'okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes, "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

Leo rolled his eyes, "No, man. You gotta stop with the 'destroy' talk. Just wait."

"Leo," Piper said nervously, "What are you—"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others... Ah, here we go," Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase. Leo tried to lift it, but the thing weighed about six billion pounds.

"Um... yeah. Hold on. I think– aha," He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" he announced, "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"That's impossible," Jason said, "Something that big couldn't—"

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.

Leo raised his hands, "Okay... what'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as carry-on—"

"Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo's chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

"What? No!" Leo said. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"

Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo's, and he definitely wasn't any prettier at point-blank, with his bruised eyes and bashed-in mouth.

"Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

In a quick movement, Jason saw Apollonia shove Cal backwards onto his back away from Leo and disarm both men, their swords clattering on the ice floor.

"Not a step further, Boreads. Leo is the most harmless person in this group. I am accompanied by Jason, son of Zeus, and Piper, daughter of Aphrodite," Apollonia said, raising her beautiful silver longsword underneath Zethes' chin. Zethes froze while Cal stumbled back up regaining his sword.

"Son of Zeus? Jason... no-no, not our Jason— our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me but still stylish," Zethes said slowly stepping away from Apollonia's sword to look at Jason.

With his gold coin in his hand, Jason stepped forward, his eyes on Cal, "Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."

"Um..."

"Zethes?" Piper tried her dazzling smile again, though she looked a little too nervous and cold to pull it off. "We're all friends here. Let's all calm down and let's talk."

"The girls are pretty," Zethes admitted, "and of course they cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time."  

"Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.

"No," Zethes said regretfully. "They are the ones we've been watching for." Zethes pointed his sword at Jason and Apollonia.

"Watching for?" Leo asked. "You mean like in a good way: you'll shower them with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a bad way: they're in trouble?"

A girl's voice rang through the room, "That depends on my father's will."

Jason looked up the staircase. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the colour of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown.

Apollonia tapped her charm to make her sword disappear. She turned to face the girl and bowed her head slightly.

"Lady Khione... it's been a while," She said with a small smile.

"Indeed it has, Apollonia. Zethes, Father will want to see our old friend, Legendary Apollonia, and the son of Zeus," Khione said.

"Then it is them?" Zethes asked excitedly.

"Yes," Khione said, "Zethes, bring our guests."

Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. Not literally frozen, but she might as well have.

"Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.

"Why not?" Leo said.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father," Khione said, "Fire and ice- it would not be wise."

"We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."

Khione tilted her head like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders, "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

Cal pouted, "Just a little?"

"No," Khione insisted, "And take care of his interesting suitcase until Father passes judgment."

Jason, Piper, and Apollonia looked at Leo, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play this?

"It's fine, guys," Leo said, "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

"Listen to your friend," Khione said, "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, king Boreas is waiting."

Jason had a feeling that Leo would probably be the safest person in this penthouse. As they climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. Jason figured one hit from that thing would probably turn him into an ice Popsicle.

Then there was the ice princess. Every once in a while she'd turn and smile at them, but there was no warmth in her expression. They followed the princess down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries. Freezing winds blew back and forth.

If these were Boreas's kids, Jason wasn't sure he wanted to meet daddy. Annabeth had told him Boreas was the friendliest of the wind Gods. Apparently, that meant he didn't kill heroes quite as fast as the others did. He'd worried that he led his friends into a trap. Without really thinking, he grabbed Apollonia's hand for reassurance. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow and tried to slip her hand out. Jason just held on tighter.

"It'll be fine, just let go," she said. "We're just talking anyway."

Khione then turned around, noticing them holding hands. Her smile faded, and suddenly, their hands turned ice cold. Jason let go and noticed his hand was smoking with frost. So was Apollonia's.

Apollonia glared at her. "What the fu—"

"Warmth is not a good idea here, especially when I am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way," Khione said, cutting her off.

"That was your fault," Apollonia glared at him and clenched her half-frozen fist to her chest, letting her inner warmth spread through.

Freezing winds blew back and forth, and Jason's thoughts moved almost as fast. He'd had a lot of time to think while they rode the dragon north, but he felt as confused as ever. Thalia's picture was still in his pocket, though he didn't need to look at it anymore. Her image had burned itself into his mind. It was bad enough not remembering his past, but to know he had a sister out there somewhere who might have answers and to have no way of finding her— that just drove him up the wall.

In the picture, Thalia looked nothing like him. They both had blue eyes, but that was it. Her hair was black. Still, Thalia looked so familiar. Hera had left him just enough memory that he could be certain Thalia was his sister. But Annabeth had acted completely surprised when he'd told her as she'd never heard of Thalia having a brother. Did Thalia even know about him? How had they been separated? Hera had taken those memories. She'd stolen everything from Jason's past, plopped him into a new life, and now she expected him to save her from some prison just so he could get back what she'd taken.

It made Jason so angry, he wanted to walk away, let Hera rot in that cage, but he couldn't. He was hooked. He had to know more, and that made him even more resentful.

"Jason," Piper said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Are you still here?"

Apollonia not even sparing him a glance. He couldn't get her out of his mind. It was driving him crazy. He wondered if she ever thought about him.

"Yeah... yeah, sorry," He was grateful for Piper's friendship. The more he spent time with her, he wanted to have a true friendship with her and was a little bit glad that he and Piper's relationship was a trick of the Mist.

Stop that, he told himself. Jason had no idea what was waiting for him back in his old life— or who might be waiting. He was pretty sure his past wouldn't mix with Camp Half-Blood. After this quest, who knew what would happen? Assuming they even survived.

At the end of the hallway, they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. Jason was pretty sure he'd seen maps like this before. But in this version, all the wind guys were winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.

The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, and Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.

"This is the throne room," she said, "Be on your best behaviour, Jason Grace. My father can be... chilly, as you would know, Apollonia. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

Jason guessed this girl's definition of fun was not the same as his.

"Um, okay," he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterwards."

Khione smiled, "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

Piper rested her hand on her dagger, "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and I don't even remember reading about you."

"Well, you already know my name, thanks to Apollonia," Khione said, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in ancient times, the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, Goddess of snow," She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around— big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton.  

"Now, come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilt out of the room, "Hopefully you will survive your little talk."

If the entry hall had been cold, the throne room was like a meat locker. Mist hung in the air. Jason shivered, and his breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of coloured light— the aurora borealis— pulsed along with the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, so Jason had to step carefully.

All around the room stood life-size ice sculpture warriors— some in Greek armour, some medieval, some in modern camouflage— all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns locked and loaded. At least– Jason thought they were sculptures.

Then he tried to step between two Greek spearmen, and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block Jason's path. From the far end of the hall, a man's voice rang out in a language that sounded like French. The room was so long and misty, Jason couldn't see the other end; but whatever the man said, the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.

"It's fine," Khione said, "My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet."

"Super," Jason said.

Zethes prodded him in the back with his sword, "Keep moving, Jason Junior."

"Please don't call me that."

"My father is not a patient man," Zethes warned, "and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Later, perhaps, I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products."

"Thanks," Piper grumbled, throwing a playful glare at Apollonia when she softly laughed.

They kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so Jason couldn't tell if his hair was grey or just white with frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's — as if he might have a sense of humour buried somewhere under that permafrost. Jason hoped so.

"Bienvenu," the king said, "Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?"

Khione the snow Goddess was about to speak, but Piper and Apollonia stepped forward and curtsied, "Votre Majesté," Apollonia said, then Piper spoke up, "Je Suis Piper McLean. Et c'est Apollonia, fille d'Apollo et Jason, fils de Zeus, âme sœur d'Apollonia. "

The king smiled with pleasant surprise, "Vous parlez français? Très bien! Oh oui, Apollonia, j'ai oublié que tu parles français!"

"Piper, you speak French? I thought only Apollonia spoke French..." Jason asked Piper in confusion.

Piper frowned, "No. Why?"

"You just spoke French. I forgot to tell you that you're naturally able to," Apollonia smiled brightly at Piper, "I'll let you do the translation for Jason."

Piper blinked, "Huh? What do you mean?"

The king said something else, and Piper nodded, "Oui, Votre Majesté."

The king laughed and clapped his hands, obviously delighted. He said a few more sentences then swept his hand toward his daughter as if shooing her away. Khione looked miffed, "The king says—"

"He says I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Piper interrupted, "so naturally I can speak French, which is the language of love. I had no idea. His Majesty says Khione won't have to translate now."

Behind them, Zethes snorted, and Khione shot him a murderous look. She bowed stiffly to her father and took a step back.

The king's eyes sized up Jason, and Jason decided it would be a good idea to bow. "Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask... why does a Greek God speak French?"

Piper had another exchange with the king, "He speaks the language of his host country," Piper translated, "He says all gods do this. Most Greek Gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks French."

The king said something else, making Apollonia and Piper turn pale.

"Why?" Apollonia said, strongly putting a hand on both Jason and Piper's shoulders protectively.

"The king says..." She faltered. "He says—"

"Oh, allow me," Khione said. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?"  

Jason tensed. The king was still smiling amiably as if he'd just delivered great news.

"But why?" Jason asked.

"Because," the king said, in heavily accented English, "My Lord Aeolus has commanded it," Boreas rose. He stepped down from his throne and furled his wings against his back.

As he approached, Khione and Zethes bowed. Apollonia let go of their shoulders and bowed stiffly. Jason and Piper followed their example.

"I shall speak your language," Boreas said, "as Piper McLean and Champion Apollonia have honoured me in mine. Toujours, I have had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. Apollonia also has gained my respect long ago. Of course, She cannot be killed since she is an immortal. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus... without first hearing you out."

Jason's gold coin seemed to grow heavy in his pocket. If he were forced to fight, he didn't like his chances. Two seconds at least to summon his blade. Then he'd be facing a God, two of his children, and an army of freeze-dried warriors.

"Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?" Jason asked. "Why would he want us dead?"

"You are Demigods," Boreas said as if this explained everything.

"Aeolus's job is to contain the winds, and Demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favours. They unleash winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer..." Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air.

Images of a battle flickered across the surface— a Giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward the Manhattan skyline. Tiny, glowing figures— the Gods, Jason guessed— swarmed around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally, the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared.

The next scene appears on the screen, it's of Apollonia. She's slashing through the ranks of monsters and demigods. Jason and Piper weren't aware of the number of demigods who have turned against the gods, fighting for the Titans. The scene split in half playing two scenes side by side, a scene on what seemed to be Olympus and down in the streets in front of the Empire State Building. It was Apollonia looking at the aftermath of the war in distraught in both. Olympus scene, she was looking down at the body of a boy. In the other scene, they see her running to the body of one of what seemed like one of her fallen brothers. She fell to her knees and put his body in her lap holding his bow in her other hand. She was screaming in pain.

Jason felt Apollonia stiffen, and glanced back at her to see her jaw clenched and slightly watery eyes. He and Piper grabbed her hands and they felt her fists shaking. He feared she was going to smash the TV screen.

"The storm Giant, Typhon," Boreas explained. "The first time the Gods defeated him, aeons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits— wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus's job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other Gods— they did not help. They did not even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally, this irritated him. Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again—"

"And his death released another wave of Venti," Jason guessed. "Which made Aeolus even angrier."

"C'est vrai," Boreas agreed.

"But, Your Majesty," Piper said, "the Gods had no choice but to battle Typhon. He was going to destroy Olympus! Besides, why punish Demigods for that?"

"That is foolish! We fought for all of you! You damn know the Titans would not have kept you alive! This is the appreciation we get? I lost siblings and friends for you!" Apollonia looked ready to jump at the king so Jason and Piper put their other hand to hold her shoulders back.

The king shrugged, "Aeolus cannot take out his anger on the Gods. They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with the Demigods who helped them in the war. He issued orders to us; Demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"That sounds... extreme," Jason ventured. "But you're not going to crush our faces yet, right? You're going to listen to us first, 'cause once you hear about our quest—"

"Yes, yes," the king agreed. "You see, Aeolus also said that a son of Zeus might seek my aid, and if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might— how did he put it? Make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to listen, however. After that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I will listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you."

Apollonia seemed to calm down physically. So he and Piper slowly let go of her and he turned to look at her facial expression, it was stoic.

Jason felt like he could almost breathe again. "Great. Thanks."

"Do not thank me." Boreas smiled. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep Demigods for our amusement, as you can see." He gestured around the room to the various ice statues.

Piper's eyes widened in horror, "Those are Demigods? They're alive?"

"An interesting question," Boreas conceded as if it had never occurred to him before. "They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, which would be very messy."  

Khione stepped behind Jason and put her cold fingers on his neck. His eyes trailed over to Apollonia, who looked like she couldn't care less what happened to him which kinda hurt, "My father gives me such lovely presents. Join our court. Perhaps I'll let your friends go."

"What?" Zethes broke in. "If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the girl since I cannot seem to have Apollonia. Khione always gets more presents!"

"Now, children," Boreas said sternly. "Our guests will think you are spoiled! Besides, you moved too fast. We have not even heard Demigod's story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us."

Jason felt his brain shutting down. He didn't look at Piper or Apollonia for fear he'd completely lose it. He'd gotten them into this, and now he and Piper are going to die— or worse, they'd be amusements for Boreas's children and end up frozen forever in this throne room, slowly corroding from freezer burn.

Khione purred and stroked his neck. Jason didn't plan it, but electricity sparked along his skin. There was a loud pop, and Khione flew backwards, skidding across the floor.

Zethes laughed, and Apollonia tried to hide her small smile, "That is good! I'm glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now."

For a moment, Khione was too stunned to react. Then the air around her began to swirl with a micro-blizzard, "You dare—"

"Stop," Jason ordered, with as much force as he could muster, "You're not going to kill us. And you're not going to keep us. We're on a quest for the queen of the Gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you're going to let us go."

He sounded a lot more confident than he felt, but it got their attention. Khione's blizzard swirled to a stop. Zethes lowered his sword. They both looked uncertainly at their father.

"Hmm," Boreas said. His eyes twinkled, but Jason couldn't tell if it was with anger or amusement, "A son of Zeus, favoured by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story."

Jason would've botched it right there. He hadn't been expecting to get the chance to talk, and now that he could, his voice abandoned him.

Piper saved him, "Your Majesty," She curtsied again with incredible poise, considering her life was on the line. She told Boreas the whole story, from the Grand Canyon to the Prophecy, much better and faster than Jason could have.

"All we ask for is guidance," Apollonia concluded for Piper.

"These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."  

The king stroked the icicles in his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.

"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said, "I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took."

"You mean Coach Hedge?" Jason asked, "He's alive?"

Boreas waved aside the question, "For now. But the one who controls these storm winds... It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."

"Hera's in trouble," Jason said, "In three days she's going to be— I don't know— consumed, destroyed, something. And a Giant is going to rise."

"Yes," Boreas agreed. Was it Jason's imagination, or did he shoot Khione an angry look?

"Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos— your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits— these are only beginning. The Earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus and souls are no longer confined to Hades... Olympus has good reason to fear."

Jason wasn't sure what all this meant, but he didn't like the way Khione was smiling— like this was her definition of fun.

"So you'll help us?" Jason asked the king.

Boreas scowled, "I did not say that."

"Please, Your Majesty," Piper said, her voice sounding so rich that Jason believed every word she was saying. "If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other Demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."

"She's pretty," Zethes mumbled. "I mean, she's right."

"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said, "She's a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charm speak a God? Freeze her now!"

Boreas considered this. Jason slipped his hand in his pocket and got ready to bring out the gold coin. If things went south, he'd have to move fast. He also noticed Apollonia's hand move towards her charm bracelet.

The movement caught Boreas's eye, "What is that on your forearm, Demigod?"  

Jason hadn't realized his coat sleeve had gotten pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks. Boreas' eyes widened. Khione actually hissed and stepped away.

Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. Boreas' form began to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius— a Roman sword similar to Jason's— hung at his side.

"Dammit, not again," Apollonia mumbled, she too changed into the same form she did the previous day.

"Aquilon," Jason said, though where he got the God's Roman name from, he had no idea.

The God inclined his head, "You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?"

Jason shifted his feet. "Uh... yes, Your Majesty."

"And Hera sent you there..." The winter God's eyes were full of mirth, "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken. Just as our dear Apollonia is right now."

"Jason," Piper said nervously, "Why did Boreas and Apollonia change shape? The toga, the wreath— and the golden armour again. What's going on?"

"It's their Roman form," Jason said, "But what's going on— I don't know."

The God laughed. "No, I'm sure you don't. This should be very interesting to watch."

"I am not trembling, Aquilon. You should know I don't tremble at anything," Apollonia said fiercely, shocking Jason and Piper at her sudden personality change.

"Of course, my dear, as fierce as always," Boreas chuckled deeply at her remarks as if it brings up old memories.

"Does that mean you'll let us go?" Piper asked.

"My dear," Boreas said, "there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera's plan fails, which I think it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about Demigods again."

Jason felt as if Khione's cold fingers were on his neck again, but it wasn't her— it was just the feeling that Boreas was right. That sense of wrongness which had bothered Jason since he got to Camp Half-Blood, and Chiron's comment about his arrival being disastrous— Boreas knew what they meant.  

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere with Hera's plan. No wonder she took your memory," Boreas chuckled, apparently still having a great time imagining Demigods tearing each other apart, "You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind God. Unlike my brethren, I've been known to fall in love with mortals. Why my sons Zethes and Calais started as Demigods—"

"Which explains why they are idiots," Khione growled.

"Stop it!" Zethes snapped back, "Just because you were born a full Goddess—"

"Both of you, freeze," Boreas ordered.

Apparently, that word carried a lot of weight in the household, because the two siblings went absolutely still.

"Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but Boreas rarely plays an important role in the affairs of Gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the south wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!"

"I like the winter festival," Zethes muttered.

"My point," Boreas snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the centre. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course. Chicago—"

Father!" Khione protested.

Boreas ignored his daughter, "If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Okay, sure," Jason said, "So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's trapped Hera?"

"Ah." Boreas grinned, "Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter."

Jupiter, Jason noticed. Before, he called him the son of Zeus.

"The one who controls the winds," Boreas continued, "Yes, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant— a servant who is very likely to destroy you. Apollonia knows her well. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he knows all the winds on the Earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage— truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you. I have a feeling Apollonia already knows what it is you will face. For she fought it before."  

Everyone turned to look at the warrior who is still in her Roman form. She made eye contact with no one but Boreas, clenching her jaw.

"Father," Khione protested, "you can't simply let them—"

"I can do what I like," he said, his voice hardening, "I am still the master here, am I not?"

The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument. Khione's eyes flashed with anger, but she clenched her teeth, "As you wish, father."

"Now go, Demigods," Boreas said, "Before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely."

They all bowed, and the God of the north wind dissolved into mist. The group then left the throne room, back to the entrance hall. Leo looked unharmed and even got cleaned up like he had used the hotel's valet service.

As Khione led them down the stairs, Leo's eyes followed her and he pushed his hair back.

Uh-oh, Jason thought. He made a mental note to warn Leo about the snow Goddess later. She was not someone to get a crush on.

Festus was also back in his normal form. At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper, "You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done." She then looked at Apollonia, who looked at her with a stoic expression, "And you, Apollonia, it was such a pleasure seeing you again. I hope next we meet, it will be on better terms."

"Of course, Lady Khione," Apollonia said, void of emotion, like a soldier.

"And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."

"Boreas is right," Jason said, "You're a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess."

Khione's eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at a loss for words. She stormed back up the stairs— literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

"Be careful," Zethes warned, "She never forgets an insult."

Cal grunted in agreement, "Bad sister."

"She's the Goddess of snow," Jason said, "What's she going to do, throw snowballs at us?"

"You'd be surprised at how nasty snow can be if it has bad intentions," Apollonia said, switching back to Greek form.

Leo looked devastated, "What happened up there? Did you make her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!"  

"You do not want her as your prom date," Apollonia said, shaking her head, "If we can't find you, someone, I'll just go with you."

Jason looked at her hurt at her comment. She wouldn't want to go with him?

"We'll explain later," Piper promised, but when she glanced at Jason, he realized she expected him to explain.

What had happened up there? Jason wasn't sure. Apollonia and Boreas had turned into their Roman form as if Jason's tattoo caused them to go schizophrenic. The idea that Jason had been sent to Camp Half-Blood seemed to amuse the God, but Boreas/Aquilon hadn't let them go out of kindness. Cruel excitement had danced in his eyes as if he'd just placed a bet on a dogfight. You will tear each other apart, he'd said with delight. Aeolus will never have to worry about Demigods again.

Jason looked away from Piper, trying not to show how unnerved he was. "Yeah," he agreed, "we'll explain later."

"Be careful, pretty girl and my lovely Apollonia," Zethes said, "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection."

"Nice offer, but I'd rather play hockey with Cal," Piper said.

"Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.

"Just kidding. And I have a feeling that the Storm spirits aren't the worst problem."

"Oh, no," Zethes agreed, "Something else. Something worse."

"Worse," Cal echoed.

"Can you tell me?" Piper smiled at them. This time, the charm didn't work. The purple-winged Boreads shook their heads in unison. The hangar doors opened onto a freezing starry night, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet, anxious to fly.

"Ask Aeolus or Apollonia what is worse," Zethes said darkly, "They know. Good luck," Throwing Apollonia under the bus. He almost sounded like he cared what happened to them, even though a few minutes ago he'd wanted to make Piper into an ice sculpture.

Cal patted Leo on the shoulder, "Don't get destroyed," he said, which was probably the longest sentence he'd ever attempted, "Next time— hockey. Pizza."

"Come on, guys," Jason stared out at the dark. He was anxious to get out of that cold penthouse, but he had a feeling it was the most hospitable place they'd see for a while, "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."

••••••••••

Jason didn't start to relax till the glow of Quebec City faded behind them.

"You guys were amazing," Jason told Apollonia and Piper.

Apollonia just ignored him.

"Si vous saviez la vérité sur moi, vous ne penseriez pas que j'étais si incroyable," Piper told Jason in French.

"What'd you say?" he asked.

"I said I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing."

"Menteur," Apollonia said to Piper in French, so the conversation would stay between them.

Piper said nothing back which made Apollonia frown at the Aphrodite girl but didn't press further.

Jason cleared his throat and Piper turned around in her seat to face him and the immortal in front of him, "You both saved me from joining Khione's subzero hero collection. I owe you guys."

Leo had been quiet ever since they'd told him what happened in the throne room.

Apollonia tapped a chalice charm on her bracelet and warm wraps appeared in each of their hands.

"I still can't believe Khione," he said, "She looked so nice."

"Trust me, man," Jason said, "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."

"I'll be your prom date if we can't find you one," Apollonia offered.

"No thank you," Leo said quickly, "Plus I don't think Jason would appreciate that. You can go with him instead."

Jason looked at Leo appreciatively before taking another bite of his wrap.

"Apollonia... those scenes back there..." Piper trailed off not knowing how to bring it up. 

"Wait, there were more scenes that you guys never told me?" Leo said incredulously.

"It wasn't our place to tell," Jason brought up, "it's hers," he pointed at the girl in front of him.

"Of the war," Apollonia said quietly before taking a bite out of her wrap.

"The second Titan war, I'm assuming?" Piper asked.

Apollonia just gave him a curt nod. Not making eye contact with anyone.

No one said anything for a while. They all just finished their wraps in silence.

"So... what did they mean? When they said that you knew what we're going up against," Jason asked Apollonia. He was kinda scared of her answer. He doesn't know how she'll react.

"They simply told you the truth," Apollonia said in a sharp tone, "When you've lived as long as we have... you'll learn things come back in— patterns."

"Well, why don't you tell us what we're up against? You've clearly known from the beginning, along with Chiron," Jason asked, a bit annoyed that she was holding back valuable information.

"The answer is too risky to say out loud where there are ears everywhere. You may be too scared to continue if I told you," Apollonia said, making everyone annoyed and paranoid, "If you all succeed in this quest to free Hera, I will tell you if you have not figured it out. For now, we keep going."

She finished with a tone that made everyone aware that they will not be getting anything more from her. So they did what she said, they stayed quiet and kept on flying to their destination.

Piper laid back into Apollonia's chest, who held onto her waist so she wouldn't fall and fell asleep.

Next stop. Chicago.